Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128239
a se r i es o f c h as si s a nd b o d yw ork cha nges o n both the ST3 and revised ST 4 S alike. T he two bik es sha re the same overall chassis package. d istin gui shed only by 4 3mm Show a upside dow n fo rks (adjustable just for prelo ad in the form er , fully so o n the latter) , which are T IN-coated only on the eight -valve model. and a fullyadjustable Sachs rea r sh ock on th e ST3 compared to Ohlins on the ST4S. Both Ducati's sp orts tourers have als o had a fac elift with rest yled bod ywo rk that, in addition to a m ore p rote ctive fairing in corpor atin g an undeniabl y Japan e se - l o ok ing n ew hea d light, also incl udes a new sea t, he ight -adjusta b l e ha ndl ebar , and a far m ore m od ern and i n f o r m a ti ve da shboard . o b t ai ne d b y taking th e Multistrada ' s s tac ke d ana l ogu e tachometer and digital speedometer/ infocenter and remounting them this time side by side. A Euroland pri ce of Euro 10,996 ($ 12 ,800) makes the six -va l ve ST3 weigh ing 470 .8 pounds dry look like good value - but wha t is it li k e to ri de, especially compared to the desmodue ST2 it rep lac es? T he quick answer? The re 's absolutely no contest: The desmotre is arguably as big a step forward from the desmodue as the cu rrent Testastretta was from the desmoquattro it supplanted. and for the same rea sons , too. It 's quieter . punch ier . faster, lighter and more powerful than the one-liter desmodue. especially as currently sold in 1000DS Super Sports guise . That ulti mate expres sion of the old -generation engine is extremely torquey but also surpris ing ly lo w - revv ing - you' re rem in ded of the w e i g ht of those sou p-bowl sized va lves by the way th e po w er see ms to peak at a littl e over 7 0 00 revs , after wh ich it runs o ut of b reath th er e ' s and a b sol u t e ly ~ n o p o in t ---' a t a ll in revv ing t h e 1000DS a n y where nea r its 8500 rpm rev limiter. T he D ual Spark desm odue 's st rong suit is its meaty midrange to rque - it p ulls hard from as low as 2 0 0 0 revs, a lbeit with some lumpi ness, and sta rts to peel up the tarmac from 3000 rpm upward . But it doesn't feel especially happy doing so - th e engine isn 't as refined or well balanced down l o w as b ef ore , w ith a k ind of subdued shiver co m ing at yo u through the seat up to 5800 rpm, after which there's some notable vibrat ion from 6200 rpm upwa rd , which is distinctly non -ducatisla. I questioned in print at its launch a yea r ago if t his we re not an engine upgra de too far aft er a ll , Ta g l i o n i res is te d The new ST3 features the brand-new desmotre motor, whi ch , as the name im pli e s, has three valve heads. The dual-spark li qui d- coole d motor features two 34mm intake valves and a single 40mm exhaust valve. The heads also feature the same compact 40-degree incl ud e d val ve angle as the e ight-valve Superblke designs. increa sing the capacity of his beloved desmodue beyond 864cc in production gu ise , a nd maybe Dr. T . kn ew best! Th e ST3 des mot re cou ld n 't be more d ifferent, tho ug h . It seems to have just as muc h p unch from 3000 rpm upward as the 1000DS. but it keeps on build ing power strongly to the 7000 rpm mark, with a Ducati vtw in' s trademark flat torqu e curve th at if any thing feels even smoother than usual. T h e power delivery is really seamless. But then, just wh ere th e desmodue sig ns off. there 's another kick of engine acceleration on t he three -valver whic h delivers a second hit of power and acce leration , m e an in g that - unlike th e des mod ue - it pays to rev th e ST3 ha r d if yo u want an extra dose of performance . Plus , if you do that, the desmotre is really sweet at higher revs - no buzz , no vibes . none of the lumpiness of the older motor. O kay , it 's not an o lio va lvo le so you don 't get the brutal muscularity and top -end power of the desmoquattro eng ine in the S4R Monster. But it 's arguably a nicer ride tha n that model wi th as g reat an appetite for revs and h a rd l y any less pe rfor ma nce . m at c h ed by a g rea te r f e e l i n g of refin em ent and sm ooth n es s a n d a much n ice r bui ld of power. Plu s, it's defini te ly qu i et e r t h an th e o ld a i r c o o le d d esm odue e n gi ne , Th e desm otre fee ls more modern an d bet ter m ade, with a swee t spot between 5000 and 800 0 rpm that yo u'll want t o op era t e in m ost of the time. That's pre c ise l y whe re the w ell -m appe d Marelli EFI still delivers good roll -o n resp o n se. So is it th e be st of b oth worlds? It co ul d be . T h at m ap p ing w asn't per fect lo w down in the preproduction bi k e I was rid ing, tho ug h. As it turns o ut, Du c at i R& D boss A nd re a Forn i and hi s t eam are sti ll w o rk in g o n opti m izin g that before custom er bikes st art to leave the f actory next m on th . That m eant t he ST3 I rode - eq ui p p ed w it h the lates t EFI m ap - had a lum py idle and sta lled repeatedly approac hing a traf fic lig ht o r intersect ion with the cl utch in, looking fo r neutral. However, th at n eu t r a l was easier to fi n d th an o n m o s t o t her des mo V - tw in s , and inde ed the whole o pe rati o n of the six - The ST3 re ceives all-new styling, with the new nose highlighting the package. e _ S • NOVEMBER 5 , 2003 13